Angelina Thomson, a recent immigrant to Summer Bay, had thought about moving to New Zealand because she thought she could have a better chance of finding employment there.
She claims that while she was growing up on the Gold Coast, with a Cook Island Mori mother and an Australian father, there were very few individuals who looked like her on television.
“My family watched Home And Away every night at 7 o’clock,” she explains, “and the little Gold Coast girl I was back then was like, ‘How can I do that? How can I access Home And Away?
And now, at the age of 26, I’m there, however many years later. It gives me a little pinch-me feeling. I’m not lying.
It wasn’t until the Paratas, Home And Away’s first Mori family, were cast in 2019 that Thomson began to feel hopeful about having her own role on the programme.
According to Thomson, “I recall seeing them and they had traditional names and would give grace and sing and talk Mori.”
“Prior to that, I had considered that I might need to temporarily relocate to New Zealand in order to attend auditions for shows like Shortland Street.
But now that I might have that opportunity in Australia, where I grew up, I feel quite grateful.
“I shed a tear on my first day on site. I just broke down in tears. I couldn’t believe it was happening, I thought. The wish has come true. I feel so fortunate to be here.
She is particularly thrilled that all of her aunts in Auckland will be able to watch her on television.
Many of them have never witnessed me perform in this manner. It will be unique since that’s all they’ve ever seen me do in terms of culture.
Thomson made her Summer Bay debut as Kirby, one of the band Lyrik’s four newbies. She plays in a band with Bob (Rob Mallett, House Husbands and Winners & Losers), Remi (Adam Rowland, Neighbours, Five Bedrooms), and Eden (Stephanie Panozzo, The Newsreader, My Life Is Murder), who is a friend of Felicity’s. It soon becomes clear that Eden has a past involving Cash, the policeman brother of Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) (Nicholas Cartwright).
The role is ideal for Thomson, who performed extensively on stage in musicals, including the role of Anita in West Side Story, after graduating from the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University in 2016.
In a guest role on the drama Wakefield last year, she made her television debut alongside a number of well-known Australian performers.
“I can still hear myself saying, “This is the beginning, Angelina,” as I left that job. She declares, “This is the start of something new.
“I’ve always wished I could perform in a variety of styles.
At school, I participated in the funk band, played the violin and saxophone, belonged to a dance group, and if I could, I also did extracurricular dancing and performed in the school musicals. I made an effort to be as adaptable as I could.
“For my career, I want that. I am aware that in our field, sticking to one mould makes it harder to discover employment opportunities.
Ironically, Thomson knew fellow newbie Mallet, who portrays Kirby’s haughty lover Bob, well.
We’ve known each other for a while, and up until lately I was residing with him and his wife. So it was hilarious when we both got jobs on Home And Away,” she adds, adding that the two had spent countless hours making self-tapes while living together.
It’s kind of weird that we’re now portraying a boyfriend and girlfriend on the Home And Away set.
“He was in the car with his wife when he called to inform me he had landed the role, and she joked, “You’re going to have to kiss my husband. ” We all laughed a little bit.
“After drinking some champagne together when they got home, I started playing the keyboard, and he pulled out his guitar. We immediately started attempting to engage in it.
According to Thomson, participating in the drama as a group has been a unique experience.
We’ve been in band rehearsals and learning the songs that have been written especially for us in addition to memorising lines and practising for the sequences, the actress explains.
“It’s made a significant change to our lives and brought us together,”
